America's Next Top Beautician
by mangaanimegirl
Summary: 6 years ago, when Kiri Koshiba cut her hair and got rid of her nickname 'helmethead' forever, Rena vowed to become a beautician that could help girls with problems like hers. But her dreams come crashing down when a boy doubts her hairstyling talents.
1. Chapter 1 Scissors Project

Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty Pop or its characters, no matter how awesome or cool it is. Anyways, this story is about the girl in the first book with the helmet hair that got her hair cut by Kiri. She grows up and becomes a genius haircutting prodigy. She's supposed to be 14 years old and she moves to America due to her father's transfer.This is my second fanfic so please review so I can do better next time! XD Yeah and I made up the girl's name too.

_"Um. Is my mom gonna get all pretty?"_

_"She certainly will. A beautician's hand can do magic"_

_"Mom is so lucky… She's gonna get all pretty. The boys at school make fun of me. They call me 'helmet-head'."_

_"Want me to do some magic on you?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Magic to make you cute."_

"_You know, I have lots of dreams……and one of them is to be a beautician. And then, anyone who has a problem like me…I'll make her all pretty."_

"_There you go! All done. What do you think?"_

"_Mom! Mom, look! Mom!"…………………….._

-x-X-x-

Rena sighed as she walked to her next class. She watched a group of kids staring at her as if she was a green, fuzzy alien from Mars.

She turned away. She was Japanese, not from another planet. Besides, there was nothing wrong with what she was wearing anyway. She looked down at her outfit. Light grey skinny pants, hot pink Converse, purple legwarmers and a yellow t-shirt followed by a turquoise vest. God, haven't Americans heard of color?

She hated the school she went to. Everyone treated her different, everyone hated her hair, everyone hated her clothes, everyone thought she talked funny.

She wished she was back in Japan. All her friends were there. They didn't think she talked funny, they didn't hate her clothes and most of all they didn't hate her hair.

She fingered her short, spiky locks, then she ran her hand down her one small,thin braid on the side of her hair that ended at her shoulder. She loved it. But people her thought it was weird.

She would always remember the person who made her cute. Kiri Koshiba. She was her inspiration as a beautician. Rena practiced everyday, trying different hair styles on plastic heads with faux hair.

And the thing was, she wasn't all that bad. Becoming a genius hairstylist was her dream and she wouldn't stop until she succeded.

She sat down at her desk. The bell rang. She looked up at her math teacher. She started teaching equations. Rena tuned the teacher out of her head and daydreamed.

She jerked awake when the bell rang. She grabbed her stuff and bolted out of the classroom. School was over. She could go home and practice!

She smiled wide and almost skipped her way down the hall. Then she froze and turned towards a piece of paper taped to the wall. It said:

Calling all hairstylists, nail artists and makeup artists!

Do you love doing any of the above?

Then join the Scissors project!

A beauty team that vows to make any girl pretty!

Come to the meeting Thursday, September 18th

in room K167 at 3:00 to join

Rena looked at her cellphone. It was 3:05. She was late! She ran all the way to the K building and knocked on the door to room K167. The door opened.

"What is it? We're very busy!", a boy in dark, shaggy hair answered. She smiled at him.

"I was wondering if I could join the Scissors Project….."

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! WE WON'T USE YOU IN THE NEXT SCISSORS PROJECT! THE MODEL HAS ALREADY BEEN CHOSEN!", the boy interrupted. By now, Rena was very annoyed.

"I don't want to be a stupid model. I want to be the hairstylist.", she said angrily.

"Really? But your hair, it clearly needs work…." he said as he fingered my braid.

"No! I want to be the hairstylist!" she repeated. He glared at me.

"_I'm_ the hairstylist. And judging by your hair you're obviously not a very good one.You can't join."

And then he slammed the door in my face.


	2. Chapter 2 Monster

Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty Pop, despite all of its haircutting glory. Everyone who reads this please R&R, even if you hated it and think I should never attempt any story in the world of fanfiction ever again. Chanks -

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Rena stomped the ground in cold fury, as she walked home. She hated her school, she hated America, she hated her life, and most of all, she hated that stupid boy who opened the door.

She itched for revenge. She wanted to wipe that stupid grin right off his face. She would start her own Scissors Project. Then she would show everyone how good she was.

"Stupid jerk, die!" she mumbled out loud. Then she kicked a discarded Monster energy drink can and watched it skitter into the street.

Americans and their stupid energy drinks. It could destroy their liver and they wouldn't know it. They would just keep chugging them until they keeled over and died.

When she got home, Rena slammed the door and ran to her room. She closed the door and dived on her bed. Silence echoed throughout the house.

She sighed and pulled out her scissors out of her case. Her dad was working late and her mom was out shopping or whatever it was moms did. She was sure she had a couple of hours to kill.

She went over to a head and started snipping at the hair. With every cut, she imagined that it was the boy's hair, looking shorter and shorter, until finally the head was bald with a few clumps of hair sticking up.

Rena smiled. It was the worst haircut she'd ever done, but to her, it was the best haircut she ever did. She was pleased with her work for today, so she started her homework. She flew through problems on her math homework, scribbled down definitions for her English homework, and made a timeline on Athens, Greece.

When she was done, she decided to go on the computer and make a flyer for _her_ Scissors Project. After twenty minutes of experimenting, Rena was pleased with her final result.

It said:

Calling all beauticians, nail artists, and make-up artists!!!!

Come join the _new_ and _improved_ version of the Scissors Project!!!!

The first meeting will be in room C140 at 3:00 next Thursday, September 24th!!!!

See you there!!!! . 

Rena jumped up and down as she printed out twenty-five flyers. She knew her Art teacher would let Rena use her room. Rena also knew that if she put the meeting at the same time as the original Scissors Project, it would strike interest and some people would decide to come check it out. She was way too excited for the next day.

In the morning, when she woke up, Rena dressed at light-speed and ran as fast as she could to school. She grinned when she saw the school building.

When she reached the school, Rena went to her Art classroom and knocked."Come in!" a voice called.

Rena opened the door. "I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.", Rena said. Her teacher looked up and said, "Go ahead."

"I was wondering if I could use your classroom for a club every Thursday."

"I don't see why not. What kind of club is it?"

"Hairstyling, nails, make-up. That kind of thing."

Her teacher's face turned into confusion. "I thought there was a club like that already."

"I know." Then Rena opened the door and took out her flyers. She also took out some clear tape.

She hung up every flyer all over school. Anywhere obvious. When she was done, she marveled at her work. She smiled.

This boy won't even know what's coming.


	3. Chapter 3 Curmudgeon

Disclaimer: I didn't write Beauty Pop or its characters and all that jazz. Anyways, R&R, even if it kills you. And if you see mistakes, take it easy on poor me and send me a message saying so! I don't want my story looking like I'm illiterate! Tee hee, here's the third chapter. . 

Enjoy!

Rena smiled as she walked down the hall. She was in an extra good mood today, ever since she hung up the posters. There was nothing that could ruin her day.

"What's this?" she heard someone say. Rena turned and looked.

The boy was standing in front of her flyer. His mouth was dropped open in shock.

"WE already have a Scissors Project. Why would someone make another one?!! Who did this?!!" he said angrily.

Then he ripped the flyer down from the wall. Rena stepped towards him.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?", she snapped. He looked up in surprise.

"_You _did this?" he asked.

"So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" she exclaimed.

"You're that girl from yesterday!" he yelled," What's your problem?"

"You said I wasn't a very good beautician!" she hissed, "And you made fun of my hair!"

"Well, it's the truth!" he retorted, "Don't blame me for your short, ugly hair and that unsightly braid!"

"You wouldn't know talent if it slapped you in the face!" He narrowed his eyes.

"Did you fill out a club charter?" he asked. Rena froze.

"What's that?" she asked. He made a face.

"I didn't think so." Then, he left her standing there in the middle of the hall, with tears forming in her eyes.

She vowed to make his life miserable. She would show him what real talent was.

Rena walked up to the office. She had no idea you had to fill out a club charter to be an official club.

Now she had to get it from the office and turn it in after her first meeting. She looked at the woman sitting at the desk. Rena walked up to her.

"Excuse me, could I get a club charter?" The woman looked up at her and smiled.

"Of course honey. Here you go", the woman said. She handed Rena a packet.

"Thank you." Rena told the woman. Then Rena went home. She sat at her desk and filled out her packet. It asked things like ,"Who is the president of the club?" and "How many members do you have?"

Rena filled the packet to the best of her ability and left blank spaces where it asked the club name and other stuff she couldn't possibly answer, until after the first meeting.

She didn't even know if anyone _was_ going to even come anyway. There already was a Scissors Project. Who was going to join hers?

She felt like crumpling up the paper and chucking it in the trash. Who was she kidding anyway?

Then she remembered what the boy had said about her hair. It wasn't ugly and it wasn't unsightly either. How dare he make fun of the haircut Kiri gave her!

Rena had worked so hard to keep her hair just like Kiri cut it. The braid was her idea though. It needed a personal touch.

She was determined to show this boy that actions speak louder than words. She hated how he just judged her by the way she looked. He's never even seen her cut. How would _he_ know how good she was.

She remembered that there was a vocab word in English that perfectly described the boy. What was it again? Curmudgeon! That's what it was! It meant bitter ill-tempered person. Perfect.

Rena decided she was extremely bored and decided to practice layers. With every cut, she felt more and more relaxed. Haircutting was what she loved and it was what she would use to beat this boy.

Something about him made her hate him with all of her life. He just didn't have a considerate bone in his body.

Rena heard the front door open and close. Then she heard her mother cough. Rena opened her door.

"Hi Mom!", Rena called. Her mom smiled and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Rena could hear pots and pans clanging in the kitchen. She was probably making dinner. Dad's food is probably going to get cold again.

Rena continued her work. An hour later, her mom called to her that dinner was ready. She went out and ate miso soup, steamed rice, sautéed green beans, and beef. They both ate in silence.

When she was finished, she put her dished in the sink and went into her bathroom. She brushed her teeth and flossed. After that she changed into her pajamas and leaped into her bed.

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about her club's first meeting and how excited she was. In the back of her mind she thought about the boy, but at the moment, he didn't really matter.

Next time: The first meeting of Rena's club and craziness ensues! XD


	4. Chapter 4 Meeting

Ok people. After a long and excruciating wait, I have provided a new chapter for ANTB. First of all, I am so sorry for making you people wait so long. I just got extremely busy and I had typed this whole chapter a long time ago, but for some mysterious reason it got deleted. This is probably the longest chapter so far so bonus for you guysXD. I promise to get the next chapter posted by tomorrow. Okay so enjoy!- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rena rushed down the hall as fast as she could. She had taken off from her seat the second the bell had rung. She needed to prepare the classroom for her club.

When she reached the classroom she caught her art teacher leaving the room. Rena gave her a quizzical look.

"I have a meeting in five minutes. The classroom is all yours. Please pick up any messes you leave," her teacher explained. Then she hurried off to her meeting.

Rena sprinted into the room and put her backpack on her teacher's desk. She zipped it open and pulled out a clipboard. She pulled her binder out after it. Then she opened it and took out a sheet of lined paper. She clipped the paper to the clipboard and placed it on a desk nearby.

Rena turned towards the white board. She grabbed all the dry erase markers and wrote "THE NEW SCISSORS PROJECT" in rainbow. She stood back to admire it.

Then she whirled suddenly and rushed to the teacher's desk and sat down in it. She waited patiently.

After a couple of minutes, Rena pulled out her cellphone and looked at the time. It read 2:42. Her eyebrows furrowed and her head turned towards the doorway. Where was everyone? What if nobody came to her club?

Then she saw a girl's head peek in and vanish. Rena jumped up and ran towards the door. The girl looked scared as Rena appeared before her. She hid her face with her long-reddish hair. Her long skirt trailed on the ground.

"Are you here for the club?" Rena asked her. The girl looked up.

"Ye….maybe….um…yes", she replied timidly. Then she down at the ground, as if she were afraid of confrontation. Rena took her hand.

"C'mon, let's go sit down and wait for the others", Rena said with a gentle tone. The girl slowly edged her way towards the door.

The girl sat down in a desk as far away from Rena as possible. She looked around the room but refused to look anywhere near Rena. Rena sighed and stared at the door hoping for someone else to appear. Then a sound came from the end of the hallway and ended right outside the door.

A boy kicked up a skateboard and stepped in the room. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a black skull and black shorts. His backwards cap covered most of the dirty blonde hair that was peeking underneath.

"Uh, is this the beautician club?" he asked. Rena smiled and said yes. The boy sat down at a desk near Rena and laid back in his chair. He looked right at home.

Before Rena could utter a word to the two people, yelling started at the end of the hallway.

"PINK! PINK! WHAT KIND OF GOTH LOLITA ARE YOU? YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO HUMANITY!"

"I TOLD YOU! I'M LOLITA, NOT GOTH! I CAN WEAR WHAT COLOR I LIKE!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO TALK TO-"

Two girls appeared in the doorway arguing. One girl was wearing all black(black miniskirt, fishnets, chunky boots, black hair)the only color on her was her bright red lipstick. The other girl was wearing a light pink dress with white lace and ribbons all over it and puffy sleeves. Her long, bleach blonde curls framed her beautiful face and a matching hat was tied to her hair. They both looked up to notice people were watching them.

"Are you here for the club?" Rena asked them. They both replied yes and sat down together and quietly argued about the blonde girl's attire.

"Well, everyone who wanted to come should have pretty much been here right now, so I guess we sho-" She cut off when a boy with messy black hair and glasses stepped into the room. She quickly regained her composure.

"Please sit down anywhere. We're just about to start," she grabbed the clipboard and gave it the girl with red hair, "Everyone should sign in and put your name, age, grade, and what position you want to have in the club. While that's going around, everyone should go around and introduce themselves and what their interest in the club is. Let's start with you shall, we?"

Rena pointed towards the girl with red hair. The girl turned bright red and started to stutter.

"Um..my…my..name is..S..Sarah and..I like to..to….cut h…hair."When she finished she buried her face into the desk. Rena looked towards the boy with the hat.

"Hey, my name is Ryan and I like doing nails. I know that I'm a guy and all, but it's really fun to do and I love it," he said lazily. Rena smiled.

"Don't worry. We don't judge in this club. We just all focus on our goal and work together. You next, "Rena directed towards the girl in black.

"My name is Jamia and I like makeup," she muttered. She elbowed her friend.

"My name is Samantha and I looooove aromatherapy!" she exclaimed. She waved her arms for effect. Everyone turned towards the boy with glasses.

"I'm Stratton and I like technology. I want to join because I thought I could help out by recording, planning, and making a website," he said with a glow in his eyes, "I could really help you guys become a better club than the actual Scissors Project." Everyone looked at him in surprise. Rena clapped and everyone looked over at her.

"Thank you guys so much for coming. Now that we know each other, I have an assignment for you. We need to come up with a name so bring your ideas to the meeting next week," Rena announced, "Well, I guess we're done for today so, meeting adjourned."

Jamia and Samantha were the first to leave. They both laughed as they left the room. Ryan picked up his skateboard and flew out of the room. Stratton came up to Rena.

"I just want to say that what you're doing is great. The actual Scissors Project is a very exclusive club and they are very prejudice about who they pick. I turned them down when they asked me to be their tech guy, but I want to help this club the best I can," he told her. Rena smiled.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me. There's nothing more I want to do than become a better club than the Scissors Project," Rena retorted. Stratton smiled and left the room. A few seconds later Rena noticed that Sarah was standing next to her.

"I just….wanted to say…thank you for m….making this club..I didn't know what else to do…when that guy….refused to let me join…he told me that I was a…….loser and that I would never…..bet very far with my……amateur style," she whispered. Then she walked away, as if she had never said anything to Rena.

Rena was overcome with joy. She was already excited for the next meeting. She had no idea she was helping people by forming this club. Tears formed in her eyes. They would defeat the Scissors Project together.

Thanks for reading. I'll try my best to post a new chapter soon. Please bear with me! .


	5. Chapter 5 Name

Hey peoples. I'm back again. I tried my best to update as soon as I could. It took me forever to pick a name for the club. I don't even know if it's that great. You tell me. Anyways, here's the next chapter in my Beauty Pop story. Please R&R!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rena was buzzing with excitement as she waited in sixth period for the bell to ring. Her club was today and she wanted to be hanging out with her fellow club members as soon as possible.

It was exciting all week to see the people she had met in her club in the hallway and wave to them. They all were very happy to see her which was something she thought no one at this school would do.

So now she wanting to go meet the only people that have made her feel like she was accepted and the only thing between her and her club was the stupid bell that wouldn't ring.

RING!!!! Rena rushed out of the door and fought her way through the swarm of kids that were already infesting the hall.

When she reached the classroom, she ran into her art teacher leaving the room. Her teacher smiled at her.

"My sister is in labor and I need to go visit her in the hospital. The door's already locked so close it when you leave", she explained to Rena.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow", Rena replied. Then she walked into the room and set her backpack down. Then she patiently waited for her club mates to arrive.

She was surprised to see Stratton come into the room. He was wearing a flannel shirt with a green shirt underneath. His dark washed jeans were baggy and he was wearing black converse with white laces.

"What are you doing here so early?" she asked him. Stratton looked at here in surprise.

"I just did. It's not like I have anything better to do", he shrugged.

"Alright then. I was just wondering", she muttered. Then they looked at each other and turned away. They both stood awkwardly.

"ALRIGHT PARTY PEOPLE! WHAT IS UP?" Samantha yelled as she stepped into room. Jamia came in behind her.

"You don't have to be so loud", Jamia complained, "You're going to scare someone with that ridiculous dress you're wearing.

Samantha's outfit was light blue and white. She had long, frilly sleeves and she carried a parasol. She was also wearing white tights matched with light blue high heels with a strap around her ankle. Her hair was put into two, messy pigtails and a huge blue bow bordered with white lace.

Her friend Jamia was wearing a black leather jacket with a yellow neon shirt underneath. She wore a black miniskirt paired with yellow neon tights. She was wearing the same black, clunky boots as last week. She was wearing black lipstick and she was wearing yellow neon eye shadow. Her black layered hair had a single yellow neon bow in it.

Sarah followed after them. Her hair was pulled in a ponytail and her bangs trailed in her eyes. She wore light brown Ugg boots and a jean skirt. Her yellow cardigan was knitted and was buttoned all the way to the top.

Ryan was the last to arrive. He was wearing a white shirt that said SKATE in black lettering. He wore black tight pants and black and white skate shoes. He wore a backwards cap with black and white checkers.

As soon as everyone arrived, Rena got right down to business.

"What are your ideas for the name of the club?" she asked the group.

"Scissors Project 2.0", Ryan suggested. Everyone immediately nodded.

"We can be the Power Rangers", Samantha added.

"We can't be the Power Rangers, we should be the Misfits", Jamia argued.

"Um..we could..maybe…..be..um…Beauty Experts", Sarah whispered.

Everyone stopped to think about what everyone suggested and shook their heads.

"What if we can't come up with anything?" Samantha complained.

"Yeah, what if we end up being the Powerpuff Girls of something", Jamia agreed.

"Well, wait a minute guys. Can't we be reasonable?" Rena reasoned.

"Hey, Stratton didn't suggest a name", Ryan pointed out.

"Yeah he didn't!" Jamia yelled.

"Make him! Make him!" Samantha shouted.

"Okay, okay. Hold your horses", Rena told them, "Do you have any ideas Stratton?" He nodded.

"I was thinking we could be the Beauty Project. It's different than the Scissors Project but with a twist to its name", he said. Everyone went silent.

"All in favor say aye", Rena said quietly.

"Aye", everyone chorused.

"Alright, then our name is Beauty Project. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone was still.

"Okay then, I guess the club is over for today. Next week we will start plans for practicing our skills. Bring any supplies you need and polish up on your skills. I have faith in all of your talents. See you guys next week!" Rena announced.

Ryan picked up his skateboard and headed out the door. Sarah soon left after him. Jamia and Samantha argued their way out of the room. The only one who stayed behind was Stratton.

"Do you like the name?" he asked Rena.

"Yeah I do. Why do you ask?" she answered.

"Well because it's your club. Shouldn't you be concerned about what it's named?"

"I like it. I think it's even better than the Scissor Project. We're the BP", Rena assured him. Stratton smiled.

"So you really want to do it, huh? Beat the Scissors Project", he questioned.

"Yeah I do. I want to get revenge on the guy who rejected me from his club", she said with an angry tone, "I'll show him what real talent is."

"Well, I have to go. I have to finish some homework. See you around", he muttered. Then he smiled and left.

Rena stared after him unable to make of what she thought of the guy. He always says the strangest things but it always makes you feel better. That is one rare guy.

Then she picked up her bag and went to the door. She kicked up the door stand and turned off all the lights.

The door gave a light click as she walked away from the classroom. She smiled to herself as she thought of her club's new name. Beauty Project. It sounded so much more professional than the Scissors Project. She really wanted to do well with this club. It's the best thing that has ever happened to her since she moved to America.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Thanks for reading! Remember to review! XD

Next chapter:

A surprising visitor comes to the BP meeting!


	6. Chapter 6 Beauty Project

Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. I hope my faithful readers will enjoy it. I think this one might be the longest chapter so far, but I can't be sure. I have had a lot more free time, so that's why I've been able to update so much. I'm on winter break so it's great to have time to type. Anyways, without further ado, the next chapter of ANTB. Please R&R! XD

Rena hurried to her club otherwise known as Beauty Project. She was especially excited for this meeting because this was the first one where they would actually practice.

She had prepared all week for this meeting. She brought two practice heads for her and Sarah and her scissors. She had dropped the bag in the morning in the art room.

When she reached the art room, her art teacher rushed past her and gave her an apologetic look.

"I have to go meet my husband about something important. I'm sorry that I can't be here, but have fun with your club. Please close the door when you leave," she explained.

"Okay, see you tomorrow", she smiled.

Then Rena walked into the art room and headed over to her bag. She took the two heads out of the bag and set them on a nearby desk.

Then she waited for the others to arrive. Stratton was the first one there. He was carrying a large case with a strap that hung around his shoulder. He was wearing a green jacket with an orange shirt and light blue jeans. A pair of green checkered converse was on his feet. He smiled at Rena and took off the bag hanging around his shoulders.

"How are you Rena?" he asked her.

"Fine, how are you?" she answered.

"Uh, so-so I guess", he shrugged. Then he opened the case and revealed what appeared to be a laptop.

"Is that a laptop? That's so cool!" she squealed. Then she moved closer to look at it. Stratton laughed.

"Is it really that exciting?" he questioned.

Rena noticed that she was just centimeters from Stratton's face and moved away quickly. She stood in silence. Stratton turned on his laptop and waited for it to load.

Ryan came in the room with a bored look on his face and plopped down on the seat nearest to him. He wore a black t-shirt with a red R on it with a red long sleeved shirt and black shorts embroidered with red thread. He also wore a pair of red and black converse.

Sarah was the next to arrive. She wore a loose grey jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. She was also wearing a long, grey skirt that ended around her ankles and a pair of simple white tennis shoes. Her hair was in two braids.

Samantha and Jamia were the last to arrive. As usual, they were arguing about something pointless. Samantha's dress was light yellow and covered in white ribbons and lace. Her hair was down in loose waves around her shoulders with a headband that was light yellow and decorated in white ribbon. She wore white tights and light yellow mary jane shoes.

Jamia was wearing a black lace-up corset over a long sleeved black net shirt. She wore black tight pants which were covered by black chunky boots. Rena was sure she never took them off. Jamia was also wearing black lipstick and smoky black eye shadow.

Rena was eager to start the meeting, so she called everyone to order.

"Okay guys, I want you to get out your stuff and start practicing. If you need any help, you can always ask me", Rena announced. Then everyone started moving and reached into their bags for various items.

Ryan started painting Samantha's nails as Jamia proceeded with giving her makeup. Samantha didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she even looked like she was welcoming the pampering.

Sarah moved over to Rena. After Rena observed that everything was going well she turned to her.

"So I guess we're going to work together today", Rena smiled.

"Y-yes…apparently…we…are", Sarah replied timidly. Then she let her bangs fall into her eyes so she didn't have to make eye contact with Rena.

"Did you bring your scissors?" Rena asked her. Sarah slowly nodded and held out a small case. Then she opened it to reveal a pair of silver scissors.

"Alright then, let's get started", Rena said with an excited tone. Then she pulled the heads toward her and gave one to Sarah. "This is your head to practice on." Sarah took the head and gave her a quizzical look.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked quietly.

"You cut it of course. Show me what you've got!" Rena replied. Then she started snipping at her head practicing layers. After a few minutes, Rena glanced over to see Sarah's progress. It wasn't much.

Sarah was cutting very slowly, being very precise with her movements. It was as if she was scared of ruining the haircut if she went too fast. Rena sighed and went over to her.

"You can cut a little faster, you know", she told the shy girl. Then Sarah looked at her in shock and turned back towards her head. She made a couple of fast snips and was surprised to see that she managed not to ruin the haircut.

"See that wasn't so bad. You should try to move faster. Nobody likes a slow haircutter", Rena offered. Then she moved back to her head and continued her cut. She was getting lost in the world of haircutting when the door was slammed open.

Rena turned to see the guy she vowed to get revenge on.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. He smirked and walked into the room. Everyone was silent and watched him come in.

"Just wanted to see how your little club was coming around. There's nothing like watching amateurs try to kid themselves into thinking they're actually good", he replied coldly.

Rena noted that he was with two other guys. One was tall and smooth black hair. He wore a light green sweater vest over a white button-up shirt and black slacks. A pair of dress shoes were on his feet. He had a calm expression on his face, as if he was filled with immense knowledge.

The other one was short and shaggy reddish-blonde hair. He wore a visor on his head and a light blue jacket. The outfit was paired with white shorts with a blue stripe going down the sides and light blue vans. He had a smile on his face, like he was excited to meet new people.

Rena stepped toward him and growled, "You're not welcome here! Leave now!"

The boy walked closer to Rena. "Make me", he answered calmly. Rena's reply was interrupted when someone shouted.

"She doesn't have to do anything! You should leave right now! You aren't even part of the club!" Stratton shouted with hate in his eyes. He glared at the boy.

"Wow Stratton, I didn't know you chose this ridiculous club over ours. You could have been useful too. What a shame", the boy replied as he shook his head.

"There was a reason I didn't join, Jacob. You never consider anyone but yourself. I bet you've never been nice to anyone in your life", Stratton said with an angry tone.

"What is your business here?" Rena asked Jacob. She stared at him in anger.

"First, what is your name?" Jacob asked her. Rena considered whether she should answer.

"It's Rena", she replied quietly. The room was silent. Everyone could feel the tension that hung in the air.

"Alright then, you leave me with no choice", Jacob announced. Then he looked at Rena and smirked with pride.

"I challenge you to a haircut battle."

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Anyways, I don't think I'll post another chapter until I get at least five reviews. So please review. I get a lot of hits on this story, but I don't get nearly as much reviews as hits. Oh yeah and if you have any suggestions of names for Jacob's friends please put it in your reviews. I'm having a slight writer's block with names.

Next chapter:

The haircut battle begins! XD


	7. Chapter 7 Haircut Battle

Hola peoples! Sorry for not posting for a long time…I was really, really, really busy. So I have a really long chapter as a special treat for people. Anyways, I want to thank xtiredxofxitxallx, SakuraKiss13, black anime fan, and Akane Naomi for reviewing. I didn't get the five reviews I'd hoped for, so that goes to show just how good my story is. Maybe I should cancel it, since nobody really likes it…….here's the next chapter.

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Rena stared at Jacob in astonishment. She had no idea what to say. Jacob just stared at her smirking while waiting for a response.

"She doesn't have to accept, Jacob!" Stratton yelled. He turned to Rena and looked at her. "You don't have to do this!"

Rena looked at Jacob with pure hostility.

"You're on", she replied. "Just tell me where and when."

"Let's say, next Thursday at 3:15 in the auditorium. Bring a model", he said with a smile. Then his smirk vanished and he motioned towards his friends. "David! Mikey! Let's go!"

They followed him through the door without looking at the other people in the room. The club watched them go with hate in their eyes.

"Oooh! I hate that guy!" Samantha screamed. Jamia nodded in agreement.

"He's not very cool. He called us amateurs", Ryan added.

"Rena what are you going to do?" Stratton asked her. Rena looked at him with a dazed face.

"I have no idea."

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Rena sighed as she headed towards her math class. The contest was the only thing on her mind. Her biggest trouble was deciding who she should use for her model.

"Rena", she heard someone say. She turned to see Sarah.

"Hey Sarah, how are you?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'm fine. I just thought I would say hello", Sarah said shyly.

"How nice of you. I appreciate your kindness", Rena smiled. Her eyebrows furrowed when she heard people calling her.

"Good luck Rena."

"Have fun losing to Jacob."

"Go Rena!"

"You suck!"

Rena was surprised to see random people calling her. Most had looks of hate on their faces. Others had smiles, as if they wished to pass some luck to her. Rena turned to Sarah.

"What's up with this?" she asked Sarah. Sarah responded by pointing at the wall. Rena followed her hand to see an electric blue flyer on the wall.

It read:

Attention all students!

Next Thursday in the auditorium at 3:30,

There will be a haircut battle between

Rena Anezaki and Jacob Farro!

Come see all the action next Thursday!

See you there!

Rena stared at the flyer in disbelief. The realization that she was battling the best hairstylist in school came over her.

"Aah! What am I going to do?" she asked Sarah. Sarah shrugged and gave her a _meek smile._

Rena looked at Sarah and studied her. Then she had an idea.

"Hey Sarah, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, wh-what is it?"

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Jacob smiled as he prepared to compete against Rena in a haircutting contest. He had already handpicked a model who had dull long brown hair and had an average face. When he was done with her, she would be able to rival a supermodel.

He looked at his watch. _3:15. Where is she?_, he thought. Then he looked towards his friends and tapped his watch. They both shrugged.

He sighed and picked up his scissors. Then he began to polish them with a cloth rag. He kept checking his watch as the minutes went by.

_3:18_

_3:20_

_3:23_

_3:25 Where is she?!!!!_

David handed Jacob a microphone. Jacob gave him a quizzical look.

"She's not going to show up. I'm going to let you do the honors of admitting her defeat to the audience", he told Jacob.

Jacob stood up slowly and pushed the curtain out of the way. He stared at the packed auditorium. The crowd was silent when they noticed Jacob was standing on the stage.

"Uh….Hey guys…Just letting you know that…uh…Rena isn't…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

The side door of the auditorium slammed open and heads turned in the direction of the sound.

Rena walked through the door, followed by her amateur teammates. She glared at Jacob as she walked backstage. Jacob looked back at the crowd.

"Yeah…the haircut battle will be starting in a few minutes…..due to technical difficulties. Are you ready?!!" he improvised. Screams erupted from the audience as Jacob slipped back through the curtain.

"What's going on?" he asked David.

"She's getting ready right now. We're going to have to go through with it", he told him.

Jacob walked towards Rena. She was barking out orders and her team was assembling her workstation. She glared at Jacob as he walked up to her.

"Where's your model? I only see your pathetic team", he smirked.

"She's here. So don't worry about it. I think you should be more concerned about how bad I'm going to beat you", she retorted with an icy voice.

"Keep dreaming. You couldn't beat me in a million years", he laughed.

"Jacob! We're going to start right now!" David yelled.

"Good luck. You're going to need it", he said to Rena before walking away.

At Jacob's workstation, everything was perfectly organized and ready to go. Rena's workstation looked like chaos, with her team scampering around.

When both of the hairstylists had their scissors in their hands and their models sitting in the chairs, the curtain rose up.

Jacob got a good look at the model and saw that it was the pathetic looking girl with red hair from Rena's team.

"You can't use someone from your team!" he hissed at Rena as the curtain rose up.

Rena rolled her eyes at him and mouthed back, _Watch me._

Mikey walked to the center of the stage holding a microphone.

"Alright everyone! We're going to start the haircut battle in..Three..Two….One…Begin!" he exclaimed.

Rena and Jacob picked up their scissors and began to cut.

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OK that's the end of the chapter. I'll post a new chapter if I get five reviews. If I don't get five then maybe I will end the story because I don't feel like anyone is reading this. So……review please…even if you think it sucks…something….


	8. Chapter 8 Fifteen Minutes

First I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially Akane Naomi. You rock! I also want to apologize to everyone because I almost bailed out on you. When I read all the beautiful reviews you gave me telling me not to discontinue the story I almost broke out in tears. Okay you got me, maybe one tear escaped without my permission. I want to thank ilurvefrankie, xtiredxofxitxallx, dittogrrl, NyahXD, black anime fan, U.W.A.H Squad, Pandapple, First Day High, Automatic Code Red 123, columbiansoccerchick, Pokkin Choco, ATOMIC ORANGE, and anyone else if I forgot you, for reviewing. The reason I wasn't going to continue the story was because I got so little reviews and I thought nobody was reading this story except for like four people. I'll make you a deal. If I get five reviews for every chapter I'll keep posting. Anyways, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! XD

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Rena started cutting Sarah's hair as fast as she could. She had fifteen minutes to make Sarah pretty.

She glanced over at Jacob. He was working on his model's bangs. Rena motioned to Ryan. He came over and started working on Sarah's nails.

Rena started layering Sarah's hair. After that she moved on to her bangs.

"Ten minutes!" Mikey exclaimed, "I will now announce as I work on the model's nails!"

Mikey moved toward the model and began to work on her nails by painting them with red polish.

Jacob finished cutting and began to style the girl's hair. He motioned for David to put the model's makeup on. Rena finished cutting and began to comb Sarah's hair.

"We will now turn the model's around so the beauticians can work in private", Mikey announced.

Groans erupted from the audience as the models were turned around. Jamia began to apply Sarah's makeup. Sarah began to look uncomfortable as Jamia attempted to put eyeliner on her.

"Eight minutes!" Mikey yelled. Samantha moved towards Sarah.

"Just hold still and let me help you calm down", Samantha reassured her. Sarah shut her eyes tight and whimpered as Samantha sprayed some perfume on her and then she began to relax.

Jamia finished applying her eyeliner and moved on to her foundation. Ryan began to apply decals on Sarah's nails.

"Alright everyone! Six minutes!"

Rena started to comb Sarah's hair and style it. Samantha plugged in a curling iron for Rena to use.

Jacob was straightening his model's hair and Mikey was finishing up the nails. David had finished his makeup and was now announcing.

"Four minutes! It's time to start wrapping it up!" he yelled.

Ryan finished Sarah's nails and began to clean up his supplies. Jamia started to put Sarah's lip gloss on. Rena curled Sarah's hair and assembled her curls.

"Two minutes! Two minutes!" David announced. Rena curled Sarah's hair faster and tried to make her hair look as good as possible. Jamia finished Sarah's makeup and moved out of the way to let Rena finish Sarah's hair.

"One minute! The haircut battle ends in one minute!"

Jacob was finished with his model and was smirking over at Rena. Mikey finished his nails and seized the microphone from David.

"Thirty seconds!" Mikey shouted.

"Twenty seconds!" Rena was finishing one last curl and gave the curler to Samantha.

"Ten seconds!" Rena took two jeweled clips from Jamia and stuck it in Sarah's hair.

"And counting….

Ten….

Nine….

Eight….

Seven….

Six….

Five….

Four….

Three….

Two….

One….

Stop!"

"We ask everyone to stop working and have the models go change for the judging!" Mikey told everyone. Samantha handed Rena her clothes and she gave them to Sarah.

The models headed behind the curtain and the crowd was overcome by whispers.

"So, how does it feel to be completely demolished?" Jacob asked Rena.

"You haven't beat me yet. So save the big talk for someone who cares", she answered coldly.

"When I win, you're going to wish you'd never been born", he warned her.

Rena laughed and said, "Listen, my team is going to win. Stop being so full of yourself and learn the truth."

They stopped arguing when the models emerged from behind the curtain.

'Now ladies and gentleman, as you can see, there are devices on your seats. So vote can for your favorite: Jacob or Rena?" Mikey announced.

The crowd immediately grabbed for their devices. There were lots of squeals from girls, over who they liked better.

Jacob's model had beautiful, glossy, straightened hair that was flipped at the edges and was wearing a red headband. She had on red lipstick and black mascara with perfectly blushed cheeks and pale red eye shadow. She wore a red dress with short puffy sleeves and a white belt with a red belt buckle. The dress was paired with white go-go boots. Her nails were red with white tips.

Sarah's hair curled beautifully around her shoulders and her side bangs were pinned out of her face by jeweled clips. Her makeup consisted of pale pink, glossy lips, pale pink cheeks, and light blue eye shadow. Her outfit was a short jean skirt, a yellow zip-up shirt with short sleeves, a rainbow striped long-sleeved shirt under, and knee high rainbow striped socks. Her shoes were yellow rain boots. Her nails had all the colors of the rainbow on each nail with a red rhinestone in the middle.

Rena was filled with fear as she waited for the results. She had no doubt about her talents, but basically this contest was like a popularity contest, and she wasn't exactly the most popular girl in the school.

"Alright everyone! The results are in!" Mikey shouted

Rena shut her eyes tight and prayed to God that she won. Samantha buried her face in her hands, Ryan pulled his hat down over his head and Jamia combed her bangs into her eyes.

"The winner of the haircut battle is………"

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heh heh…don't you love my cliffhanger? I'll post a new chapter as soon as I get five reviews. It was so hard to type this chapter because I had to describe what everyone was doing and the outfits of the models and just…EVERYTHING!!!! Which model do you like better? Jacob's or Rena's? Put your vote in your review……..

Next chapter:

The winner of the haircut contest!


	9. Chapter 9 Winner

Tee hee….I just remembered I left the last chapter with a cliffhanger. I can be evil. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm too lazy to put down everyone's name. I'm extremely tired from school. So anyways yawn here's the next chapter. I'm going to post a little more frequently from now on because I found time in my schedule to type. Maybe every two to three days. There will be no more than a week between updates. Unless something extreme comes up. Then I will let you know as soon as possible. I'm going to stop babbling and let you find out who won the frickin haircut battle. Please enjoy! XD I would appreciate it so much if you R&R!!!!

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"….Jacob Farro!"

Rena's mouth dropped open in surprise. Gasps could be heard from Jamia, Ryan, and Samantha.

Girls squealed from the audience. Jacob smirked at Rena and whispered, "I told you so loser", as he walked by.

Rena looked sadly at Jacob as he walked onto the stage and took the microphone from Mikey.

"Thank you everyone! I appreciate you voting for me! Please continue to support the Scissors Project!" Jacob crooned to the crowd.

Girls screamed things at him like, "We love you Jacob!" and "You're so hot!" Jacob handed the microphone back to Mikey. Then he walked offstage.

"That's all for today! Thank you for coming!" Mikey shouted to the crowd. Samantha shook Rena's shoulder.

"Let's go. You did your best", she comforted Rena. Jamia gave her a small smile and Sarah walked up to her.

"I think you should have won. I love the makeover you gave me", she said meekly.

Rena smiled and said, "Let's go."

"Hey, good job today", Stratton said. Rena looked over at him.

"Where were you today?" she asked him.

"I uh…wasn't going to come", he answered.

"What? Why?" she asked urgently.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't like this at all. Jacob is stupid and I knew that something was going to happen", he said, "It just doesn't seem right to me. But I couldn't stay away. I was in the crowd filming the battle."

"Thanks," Rena told him, "I appreciate your support."

"So, how about we go to All-American Burger?" he asked everyone.

"Heck yes!" Samantha cheered.

"Sure", Jamia agreed.

"It's not like I have anything better to do", Ryan said.

"That would be great", Sarah added.

"Yeah", Rena answered.

"Alright! All-American Burger it is!" Stratton yelled.

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"What would you guys like to order?" the waitress asked the group.

"I don't know Rhonda, what do you think we should order?" Samantha asked the waitress. Her nametag contained the name Rhonda.

"Um..I don't know..the special today is an bean and cheese burrito", the waitress suggested.

"Excellent Rhonda, I think I will get that. But I also would like to get the all-you-can-eat and a Coke", Samantha told Rhonda.

"So you want the bean and cheese burrito as your first meal for the all-you-can-eat combo?" Rhonda asked Samantha.

"Yes Rhonda, you are correct. Now please take my friend's orders before we all die of starvation", Samantha answered Rhonda.

"I would like a Jr. Bacon cheeseburger and Dr.Pepper", Stratton ordered.

"A coffee and a cheeseburger", Jamia followed.

"A grilled chicken sandwich and Diet Coke", Sarah said quietly.

"Coke and chicken strips", Ryan told Rhonda.

"And what would you like dear?" Rhonda asked Rena. Rena stopped spacing out and said, "What?"

"What would you like to order?" Rhonda repeated.

"Oh,uh….a hamburger and Sprite", she blurted out.

'Okay kids, I'll get your food out to you as soon as possible", Rhonda said to the group.

"Thank you Rhonda", Samantha said sweetly. The group snickered as Rhonda walked away. Rena laughed along with them, but it was half-hearted. The only thing she could think about was the haircut battle and how she lost.

"What's up Rena?" Stratton asked her, "Are you okay?"

"I could be better," Rena told him, "And I did just lose a haircut battle."

"Don't worry about it. You totally beat him, the people that voted are the one's who are wrong", Stratton reassured her.

"Alright, thanks for your help. The feeling of losing isn't that great", Rena told him.

Stratton smiled at her and said, "Don't forget your whole team was behind you. They were affected by this just as much as you."

"You're right. I should think about my teammates as well. If they can laugh this off, then I should too", Rena smiled.

"Definitely", he said with positive tone.

"Alright here's your food! Enjoy kids!" Rhonda said.

"Thank you Rhonda! I was dying over here!" Samantha said dramatically. The table erupted in laughter.

"Stratton picked up his soda and said, "To Beauty Project!"

Everyone picked up their glasses and chorused, "To Beauty Project!" Then everyone clinked glasses. Sarah spilled some of her soda on the table and she blushed furiously. Everyone else began to laugh. Rena jumped up and grabbed some napkins from the counter. Then she threw the napkins on the table and everyone participated in cleaning the mess.

When everyone was finished eating, they all pitched money together to pay the bill. They all left All-American Burger laughing and joking, not even thinking about their loss earlier in the day.

Rena parted ways with the group and began to walk home. She gazed dreamily at the orange-pinkish sunset. When she reached her house, she went inside and went to say hello to her mom.

"Mom!" she called.

Silence answered her.

She moved into the kitchen and saw a note in the refridgerator. It read:

_Hi Honey,_

_I had to run important errands, so I will be home late._

_There is food to eat in the fridge and I will see you tomorrow._

_I love you,_

_Your Mother_

Rena gazed sadly at the note and walked out of the kitchen. She had eaten at All-American Burger, so she wasn't that hungry.

She brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She was tired from the day's earlier activities.

Rena climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. She dreaded the next day at school. She knew people were going to make fun of her for losing.

Rena hoped things would get better. In fact she knew they would. She just hoped it would be soon.

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Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be a little good. Something will be revealed……..what could it be? Muwahahaha you'll have to read the next chapter to find out. I just have to get five reviews. See you soon!

Next Chapter:

Something is discovered and causes a controversy. What could it be and who is involved?


	10. Chapter 10 Loser

Hey everyone. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it a lot. Me mucho tired from all the typing I did. The things I do for you guys….yawnso yeah….I can't believe I'm already on my tenth chapter. That's a major accomplishment for me. I would appreciate it if you guys review. Remember five reviews at least. I bet now you are like, _Let us read the __frickin__ story now! _So I'll let you go now and let you read the story. Please enjoy! -

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Waking up the next morning was painful. She felt sore from yesterday and she was dreading going to school.

She had been expecting to win. She had absolute confidence in her talent. She couldn't imagine not winning.

Rena dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She braided her long chunk of hair on the side of her head and added beads to it. Then she noticed a piece of hair that was too long. She picked up her scissors and made a fast snip. The she smiled at her hair's perfection and left the bathroom.

She opened her closet and stared at the vast collection of colorful clothing. _What should she wear?_

She chose a blue jacket because she was cold and wore a pink tank top under it. She also put on purple skinny pants and neon green converse.

When she was done, Rena grabbed her backpack and left for school.

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"Rena!"

Rena turned to see Stratton running towards her.

"I really need to talk to you. It's important you see this", he breathed.

"Uh…okay, what is it you have to show me?" she asked.

Stratton waved her off and said , "No time. Hurry!" Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. When they reached their destination, Stratton pulled Rena inside.

Stratton pulled open his laptop and turned it on. Then he pulled out a digital camera and plugged it into his laptop.

A window appeared and Stratton moved the arrow with his finger and clicked a couple of times. A video started to pay and Rena narrowed her eyes and looked closer to see what it was.

"Stratton! It's bad enough having to experience it once! I don't want to do it again!" she yelled. She glared at the video that was the haircut battle.

"Sssshhh! Sit down and watch", he told her.

She watched as the models went backstage to change. She watched Jacob walk over to her and taunt her. She watched the models come out and the audience vote for their favorite. Most importantly, she watched as Mikey announced Jacob as the winner of the haircut battle. When the video ended, she felt like crying.

"Did you see it?" he asked her.

"See what?" she said with a muffled voice.

He rewinded the video to the part where the audience was voting for their favorite models. He zoomed in and Rena saw what he was trying to show her.

" NO WAY !" she shouted. Her eyes were wide and her mouth fell open in shock.

"Yes way", Stratton replied calmly, " I found this last night."

"I can't believe this", she said quietly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Stratton asked her. Rena smiled and looked at Stratton.

"I think I have an idea. But I'll need some help."

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Jacob walked coolly down the hallway Monday morning, without a care in the world. The he noticed some kids staring at him and giggling.

Two girls walked by and one of them said ,"Nice job loser."

He became so confused. _What's wrong? I just won the haircut battle? Why does everyone hate me?_

He found the source of the problem on the wall. It was a green flyer that read:

JACOB FARRO IS

A CHEATER!!!!

watch his evil

crime at:

stared at the poster, hardly daring to believe what it read. _WHAT?!!!! THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY THEY COULD HAVE FOUND OUT!!!! _He ran to the Scissors Project clubroom and turned on the computer.

_He typed in the website and gazed in horror at what he saw. There was a video of him crawling towards the wires on a machine that counted the votes. Then he pulled out two wires and switched them. Then the video showed him walking over to Rena. A couple of minutes later, the models appeared and the audience voted. After a few minutes, __Mikey__ declared him as the winner._

"What am I going to do? Someone caught it on video", he grumbled to himself. The door slammed open and David appeared.

"Jacob! Is it true?" David asked him immediately. Jacob didn't answer him. He just continued to stare at the computer screen.

"How could you do this? This changes everything! Why couldn't you just play a fair game?" David demanded, "The Scissors Project cannot be ruined like this!"

"What did you want me to do? I could not lose to her. I know I'm better than her!" Jacob yelled back.

"Then why did you do it?" David asked him. Jacob paused and bit his lip.

"I don't know", he said, "I think….maybe…I was scared."

David walked over to Jacob and punched him. Jacob knew was coming and didn't flinch.

"Don't you ever do that again", he said sternly, "Me and Mikey are your only friends. We will always be here to help. You just have to count on us."

Jacob smiled and said, "Thanks."

"First off, there is no hiding what you have done. I think you need to apologize to Rena and the audience", David told him.

" NO WAY ! I'LL APOLOGIZE TO THE AUDIENCE, BUT I'LL NEVER APOLOGIZE TO THAT GIRL!!!!" Jacob screamed.

David put a hand on Jacob's shoulder and said, "You're going to have to if you don't want to be ruined by this."

Jacob sighed and said, "Okay, I'll do it. But only because you guys are my friends and I owe you for cheating."

David held up a video camera and added, "We're also going to do it in video."

"WHAT? A video? That's terrible! That's crazy!" Jacob yelled.

"It's not as crazy as you think. Now smile and get ready for your public apology", David reassured him. He pressed the red button on the camera and Jacob gulped.

Then the red light came on and Jacob did not know what to say. Then he was struck by genius and Jacob started to speak.

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I bet you guys wanna know what he said. Well you have to read the next chapter to find out. So yeah R&R and all that jazz…….alright people I am outies…ttyl

Next chapter:

Jacob's public apology and a very surprising reaction!


	11. Chapter 11 Cheater

Welcome back! I want to wish everyone a special Valentine's Day and I want to thank everyone who reviewed so far. So this is the list of everyone who reviewed. Thanks everyone! To everyone who has read and supported ANTB so far! Eleven chapters is a big sum for me. I think the story will be around twenty chapters. It just depends on how far I want to go. Of course I will still write in the Beauty Pop category after this. - I might even write a naruxkiri. Who knows? I also want to try a one-shot so look for that soon! Anyways, here is your long-awaited next chapter. I hope it will be thrilling!

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"What is the web address again?" Stratton asked.

" Rena answered. Stratton typed in the address and a video began to play. It was Jacob.

_"I know a lot of people have seen a video of me doing something I should not have done. I made this video to say that I'm sorry. I don't even know how to explain how sorry I am", Jacob said with an emotionless expression on his face__, "__I don't even care if you continue to hate me after this, as long as people know that I made a mistake and I learned from it. I did not know what I was doing and I was stupid. I need to apologize to everyone that voted at the haircut battle and most importantly, I need to apologize to Rena. It was not fair to her. She went out there and did her best and I took it all away from her. The credit for winning the haircut battle should go to her. I definitely do not deserve anything. I could keep apologizing, but it still would not be enough to make up for what I have done. Thank you for your time and I hope all of you will not hate me so much for this." _

Rena gaped in surprise at the video. _He apologized?!!!!_ _He even apologized to me? What's with this guy?_

"Stratton?" Rena said without removing her eyes from the screen.

"What?" he asked.

"I feel really bad now. He's the one who cheated and I feel like the guilty one", Rena replied.

"I know. " he said with a sigh.

"Suddenly, he doesn't seem like a bad guy after all." Rena said.

Then they sat in silence, thinking about what they had done.

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"Hey Stratton", Rena greeted. It was another club meeting. The first one since the haircut battle.

"Hey Rena. What's up?' he smiled.

"Uh nothing really. Just waiting for the club to start." she answered.

Ryan came in with his skateboard tucked in his arm. Then he sat in a nearby desk and stared at the wall, looking bored. He had spiked up his hair today, so wearing a hat would have been useless. He wore a blue shirt that had the famous stars and straps symbol and blue and black shorts. His shoes were blue and black skater shoes.

Samantha and Jamia walked in, arguing again about something. Samantha's outfir was themed around purple and white. A purple dress covered in white lace and ribbons. Her hair was put up in loose buns and and purple and white lacy bow covered the top of her head. She wore white tights and purple high heeled mary jane shoes.

Jamia wore a black t-shirt with a long sleeved black shirt, black tight pants and her black boots. Her hair was left normal and her eyes were perfectly lined in black. The rest of her face was left alone.

Sarah came in timidly with her hair in pig tails and wearing glasses. She wore a light pink zip-up jacket and a white skirt that went to her knees. White socks were bunched around her ankles and her white tennis shoes had pink laces. Sarah blushed when she noticed Rena staring at her.

"I...uh...it just wasn't my style!" she protested.

"It's ok", Rena smiled.

Samantha hovered around Sarah and demanded, "Why did you change back? You looked so cute?"

"I...uh...i...thought...i", she stammered, looking confused. Rena put an arm around her shoulder and smiled.

"Leave her alone. Chill. She's delicate", Rena told Samantha. Samantha rolled her eyes as if to say, whatever and walked away.

"Thanks", Sarah said quietly.

"No problem", Rena reassured her.

Rena clapped her hands and said, "Okay, it's time to start the club. Everyone should know what to do by now."

Rena stretched her hands and got ready to work. She was in the mood to practice hair cutting. For the rest of the meeting, Rena worked hard and only paused to give Sarah some tips and making sure everything was going smoothly.

When Rena looked at her watch, she was shocked to see that two whole hours had gone by.

"Uh guys, it's 5:00", she announced. Ryan's eyes opened wide and he leaped out of his chair.

"I need to meet my friends at the skate park!" he exclaimed. Then he ran out the door.

Samantha waved goodbye and yelled, "See you guys later!" Jamia followed after her.

Sarah finished cutting her mannequin head and packed up her stuff. When Sarah finally left the room, Stratton looked towards Rena.

"Are you going to walk home right now?" he asked her.

"Yeah, why?" she answered. He shrugged and picked up his bag.

"I dunno. I just thought that maybe I could walk you home", Stratton mumbled.

"Alright, are you sure you want to? Do you live near here my house at all?" Rena questioned.

"Well, kind of. Anyways, let's go. It's already late", He suggested.

"I agree. Let's go", she stated. Then they both walked out of the room into the darkened hallway. The sky was purplish-bluish-pinkish and the colors contrasted together into a shade of pure bliss.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, but when they got outside of the school, Stratton struck up a conversation again.

"So, are you a sophomore or a freshman?" Stratton said.

"I'm a freshman", Rena answered as she kicked a rock that skittered off the grey sidewalk and onto the street covered in shadows from the trees under the setting sun.

"Oh well I'm a sophomore", he added with a grin. Rena thought, _I know. You signed up for my club remember?_

"What made you decide to become a beautician?" Stratton inquired. Rena sighed and prepared for her story.

"When I was eight, I wasn't very popular at school and everyone called me "helmet-head" because of my hair. It was terrible. All of the boys made fun of me and I didn't have any friends. But then I met Kiri Koshiba and she gave me a haircut that changed my life. I wasn't the loser I used to be. I know you're probably thinking that why would you be friends with people that couldn't accept you for who you are? The thing is that that hair wasn't me and when Kiri cut my hair it was if she had uncovered myself. I felt like a new person. It inspired me to help other girls like me and help them find themselves. It's not just about making girls prettier. It's also about helping girls find their confidence and help them be the people they want to be. I want to make a difference in this world", she told him with a dreamy look in her eyes. They continued walking down the empty street, the sky now completely darkened.

"Wait, you mean _the_ Kiri Koshiba? The best beautician in Japan?" Stratton blurted out. Rena nodded and turned to look Stratton in eyes.

"Wow, I never knew. That's pretty impressive", he said quietly. He followed after Rena when she turned a corner.

"I didn't expect you to", she told him with serious tone. A couple minutes of silence followed her statement.

Rena stopped suddenly when she realized she had finally reached her house. The house looked somber. There wasn't any light emanating from the windows. _Mom must be out again_, she thought.

Then Rena turned to Stratton and said, "Well this is my stop. Thanks for walking me home." She looked up and met his eyes again.

"It was no problem. Plus, I couldn't let a girl walk home all by herself in the dark", he added.

They both looked in each other's eyes for a few small seconds without saying anything. Then, Stratton looked away and said, "I better go. My homework is burning a hole in my backpack."

Then after a short wave goodbye, he began to walk back down the street. Rena stared after him, wishing he didn't have to go.

A couple of minutes later, after Stratton was completely out of sight, Rena realized she had spaced out. She shook her head and took out her key to unlock the door.

She entered the dark home and closed the door behind her. Rena began the small journey up her stairs and entered her room with a sigh. When she closed the door and jumped on her bed, she finally realized that a small blush had appeared on her cheeks.

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Sorry for taking longer than a week. I feel bad for doing that to you guys. But fear not for I will post two chapters next week! I will promise you this on this chapter because if I don't put this in writing, then I will end up failing you all. I know my chapters are kinda short, they average around a thousand words, but I update kinda quick, so it's all good. I've just been kinda behind because my teachers are evil and they love torturing me with homework. But because I love you guys so much, I write out my story on paper during in math so I can type it faster. Don't fear for my math grade because I have a B ! HA HA! I pown multi-tasking! Okay, I'll let you guys go because you are probably really tired of my weirdo-crazy-on crack-delirious speech. Muwah! I blow a kiss to all of my fans cuz' I love you all! Happy V-Day! Or for all you bah humbugs Happy S.A.D. day!(Single Awareness Day)

Also, I have a poll on my profile with a list of all the characters (at least just the important ones in the story). You only get one vote, so think CAREFULLY! The poll will run until the last chapter of this story and then it's over! I will tell you the results on the last chapter. I have also enabled anonymous reviews for all of you lazy people who don't want to sign in or haven't made an account yet. So no excuses this time! Jk jk…. I also know there are more than seventeen people that read this story so review dang it! And vote! You don't even have to review if you don't feel like it but at least vote! But still keep in mind the five review rule. I might change it to ten reviews but not until I post a couple more chapters. Now I will finally let you go. Sorry for turning this into an author note/chapter. See you next time and please review! XD Dang, I don't know how I managed to type all of this. It must be the sugar rush from Valentine's Day candy….

Current obsession:

Camisado by Panic! At The Disco(I don't care if they took the exclamation o

Next chapter:

Something is announced(What could it be?) and more things develop


	12. Chapter 12 Friends

Okay, I know I've been confusing you with the constant changing of my mind and updates and certain things. I will post a chapter a week. I know they are kind of short and they won't keep you satisfied for a week, but I need time to catch up on this story and I will stay solid on the updates. You can expect a chapter every week. Maybe if I'm ahead enough, I will post two chapters, but in order for that to happen you people need to review. I need to know that people are reading this story and I'm not just wasting my time. It's not hard. You press a button and put a couple of words. Please? It's the only way I know if people like it. And please vote. Only two people have voted so far. So it's a tie between two people. I'm not going to tell you who they voted for. I'll leave it as a surprise for the end of the story. Okay people please review. I'm changing it to ten reviews for each chapter. It's not hard. I should be putting fifteen, but I'm cutting you guys some slack. And to anyone that reads this, if you recommend this story to your friends that would be great. Okay, I know you want to read now so I'll let you go.

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Rena sat in the cafeteria during lunch, all by herself. A bento was open in front of her with teriyaki chicken, white rice, and mixed vegetables.

Her food was untouched, most likely due to the fact that a book was open in her hands and her eyes were moving rapidly through the pages. She paused to look when someone sat in front of her.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Rena ignored them.

"What are you reading?" Stratton asked her. Rena sighed and showed him the cover.

"Wuthering Heights", she stated.

"Are you going to eat your lunch?" he questioned and pointed at her food.

Rena looked at her bento and suddenly realized that she was ravenous. Stratton watched as she began to eat her food.

When she finished chewing she asked, "Are you going to sit with me today?"

"I don' t see why not", he replied with a playful grin on his face. Rena watched him peek at her from under his glasses and thought about how cute he was.

_Wait_, she thought, _Did__ I just think that?_ She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Whatever. Just don't annoy me", she warned. Then she picked up her book and began reading again. She tried to ignore him the best she could.

"Don't start reading. I'm trying to have a conversation with you", he said as he pulled down her book.

"This is what I mean about annoying me", she growled as she tore the book from his grip. Then she flipped the page and continued reading.

"Sorry."

Rena sighed and closed her book after marking her page.

"Does anyone ever sit with you?" he asked.

"Obviously no", she replied with what she hoped was a bored expression.

"Then it's decided. I'm going to sit with you from now on", he told Rena with a smile on his face.

"Wait! I never said you could sit here!" she exclaimed.

"Do you_ own_ this lunch table?" he asked her with a jovial expression.

"Uh, no", she answered with an expression of defeat. Then she slouched over onto the flat surface of her table.

"Alrighty then. We are a-go", he laughed. Rena looked miserable.

"Someone please help me", she wimpered.

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"Hey look!"Stratton exclaimed. Rena followed his gaze and saw a poster. When she looked closer she saw it was regarding the Scissors Project.

_Another poster_, she thought, _Well__, it's not any of my business_. She began to walk away but Stratton called her back.

"Come here! It has your name on it!" he yelled excitedly. Rena studied the poster for a few seconds until she found her name.

It read:

Regarding all people who attended the haircut battle:

Please join us for a awards ceremony in which the title

"Haircutting genius" will officially be handed over the

Rena Anezaki

Congratulations!

The ceremony will be next Friday at 3:30

Please be there in dressed in your best!

Rena gaped in horror at what she saw. _Why can't they just leave me alone_ she thought, _I'm over it already!_Rena's hands reached up to her hair and she scrunched it in frustration. When she removed her hands, it left stray hairs sticking out awkwardly. Stratton began to laugh when he saw Rena's hair.

"What's so funny?" Rena asked him angrily.

"Your hair!" he laughed as he pointed at her.

She turned towards and glass window and saw her hair through her reflection. She clawed frantically at her hair.

"It's not coming down!" she wailed.

"Here let me help you", Stratton offered as he moved closer. He reached out his hand and smothered her hair.

Rena looked up into his brown eyes and the world seemed to stop around her. Time was frozen. The only thing that mattered was that Stratton was in front of her.

Stratton stroked her hair and stared deep into her eyes. He moved closer to her. Rena could feel the warmth radiate from his body. Her cheeks blushed a light pink.

_Is this my first kiss_? Her eyes closed as he moved even closer towards her. She prepared for what was to come.

"Like, oh my god! I was totally happy when he called me!" a girl talked loudly. Rena and Stratton jumped and moved away from each other, both of their faces red. The girls walked by without even noticing them.

They both stood awkwardly, only a few feet away from each other. But to Rena, it felt far away.

"Well, I better go. Can you get home fine by yourself?" he asked looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine", she replied with a small smile. A moment of silence passed and they didn't make eye contact. Rena seemed too afraid to look up.

"Bye. See you around", he muttered as he turned away. Rena watched him go with sadness. Why did she feel this way? She never felt this way. About anyone. So why was this so different?

She liked to smile whenever she was around him. He was always so nice to her and she loved being around him. That means they were just friends, right? There couldn't possibly be another answer. Could there?

Rena blushed when she realized the only answer was that she might be in love.

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Yay for fluff! The story is slowly building up and then KABAM! It will be awesome. I think twenty chapters seems too little, so I might extend it to twenty five to thirty chapters. Tell me what you think through a review. Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I sure appreciate it. No more chapters until I get some reviews. So push that button people and review! Authors love reviews, people love stories. So review and you get your story. And don't forget to vote for your favorite character! Just click on my profile and the poll is right there.

Next chapter:

The awards ceremony and the craziness that ensues!!!!!! XD


	13. Chapter 13 Party

Argh! Sorry peoples, I forgot about the once a week thing. Sorry to anyone that was waiting to read the next chapter. I didn't get that many reviews. I had wanted ten. I think I maybe got five . Well, whatever then. I guess I should stop being selfish. Review if you feel like it, I guess. Oh yeah peoples, you also should vote. It's simple, it's fun. Just choose your favorite character and that's it.

The Thursday before the awards ceremony………

"Hey guys", Rena smiled as she entered the room. She was carrying a big cardboard box that she set down on a nearby desk.

"You are late Madame President!" Samantha exclaimed as she jumped up from her desk.

"Sorry guys. I apologize", Rena told them.

"What's that thing?" Ryan asked with a look of curiosity. His gaze went towards the box.

"That is the reason I am late", Rena informed them.

"Ooh! What's in there?"Samantha squealed.

"It is a special treat for you guys, for joining the club and sticking to it", she explained, "So Sarah, could you please open the box?"

Sarah began to open it, cutting the tape with her fingernail. When she managed to get the box open her eyes went wide.

"Ice cream!" she gasped. An expression of joy spread on her face and excitement sparkled in her eyes. Everyone moved closer to see if it was true.

"Yay! Chocolate ice cream!" Samantha squealed again as she snatched it from the box. Jamia grabbed mint-chocolate. Ryan reached for cookie dough, Stratton grabbed pistachio ice cream, and Sarah gingerly picked up a tub of vanilla ice cream.

"Hold it guys! Aren't you missing something?" Rena teased as she held up an array of ice cream scoops, bowls and plastic spoons. Everyone stared at her in confusion.

"Don't worry about me. That stuff will only get in my way", Samantha murmured as she scooped the chocolate ice cream from her tub. Everyone else scrambles to get utensils for their ice cream.

After everyone had gotten what they needed and started pigging out, Rena made her way over to the box. She picked up the last tub of ice cream, which was her favorite.

Rena smiled to herself as she scooped rainbow sherbet ice cream onto her plate. She loved the colors and how sweet it tasted.



Then she went to go join her friends as they talked and laughed. When Rena sat down, she noticed Stratton was staring at her. She smiled and he turned away. But then he looked back at her and smiled back.

Rena turned towards Sarah and asked, "What's up?" Sarah snapped out of her dream world and looked confused.

"Um, nothing really", she said with an unsure look. Then she looked at the ground and sighed. Rena suddenly realized what was wrong.

"Okay, who is it?" Rena asked her.

"What?" Sarah said looking surprised.

"You know, the guy you like?" Rena hinted.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sarah mumbled while her face turned red.

"Come on! You can tell me!" Rena urged her.

"Um…..it's…..."Sarah said quietly. Rena didn't hear what she said.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear that", Rena told her. Then she leaned closer to Sarah.

"It's….um….D-David", she whispered shyly. Rena took in the information and smiled.

"That was a little unexpected, but he sounds pretty nice. Even though he is on the Scissors Project", Rena added.

"Well you're going to see him tomorrow. Want me to do your hair?" Rena asked. Sarah turned towards her and gave her a small smile.

"Ok."

--

Rena sighed as she rolled in her bed. She felt restless after walking home Stratton. The fact that there was even an awards ceremony tomorrow wasn't helping either.

Rena jumped up and walked towards her closet. She had suddenly realized that she had nothing to wear. Then she struck by genius.

She pulled out her cell phone, a baby blue chocolate, and dialed a number. She held the phone up to her ear and listened to the ring back tone. It was Glamorous by Fergie.

"Hello?" Samantha's voice said on the other line.

"Hey, it's Rena", she greeted.



"Rena! What's up?" Samantha said cheerfully.

"I need your help", Rena told her.

"My help? With what?" Samantha asked.

"I need something to wear tomorrow", Rena said with a serious tone.

"I have just the thing!" Samantha squealed.

"Alright, blue seems like a good color on you. I have this cute blue dress that would be perfect for you", Samantha offered.

"Ok, bring it tomorrow. I'm going to meet Sarah in the girls bathroom after school because I'm going to help her get ready", Rena agreed.

"I'll bring Jamia with me. She would be glad to do our make-up", Samantha added.

"Okay, see you tomorrow", Rena smiled.

"See ya!"

Rena set her cell phone on her nightstand and put the charger in it. Then she left the room and went to get ready for bed.

--

"Ow!" Rena yelped as Jamia attempted to put eyeliner on her, "Watch where you stick that thing!"

"Well if you had stopped moving, I wouldn't have poked your eye", Jamia growled.

"Ugggh! Sorry. This is why I don't wear make-up ", Rena grumbled. She looked at Sarah.

"How are you doing?" Rena asked her.

"I could be better", Sarah said gently, "I'm just a little bit nervous."

Samantha had brought a cute light pink dress for Sarah that clashed with Sarah's hair in a cute way. She was also wearing light pink heels. Jamia had added light pink eye shadow and light pink blush. She had also given her hot pink lips. There was just a hint of brown eyeliner lining her eyes. Rena curled her hair at the edges so that her shoulder length hair flipped out. Samantha moved towards her.

"Here let me help you relax", Samantha offered. Then she pulled out a small glass bottle with light purple liquid. "This is lavender extract, so you feel better in a few seconds."

Samantha was wearing light green dress with white lace and white ribbon (basically she wears the same looking dress but with a different color theme). Rena had helped Samantha put her hair in two 

buns that had a long piece of wavy hair trailing out both of them. A light green ribbon was holding each bun in place. She also had on white tights and light green mary jane shoes. Jamia had given just a hint of green eye shadow and black eyeliner. Her lips were glossed a light pink.

Jamia had on black eye shadow (as always) and red lipstick. She wore a black strapless dress that had a billowy skirt that stuck out due to a black net slip underneath that stuck out from her skirt. She took a break from her black boots (finally) and wore black high heels. Her bangs were pinned out of her face by a fake diamond barrette.

Rena was wearing a form-fitting shiny turquoise-blue dress that hugged her thighs and ended a couple of inches above her knees. Her hair was the same as always, but her braid was taken out and pinned back with a shiny blue ribbon that matched her dress. Her eyes were lined with blue and she wore a hint of blue eye shadow. Her lips were glossed a bubble gum pink and her cheeks were slightly blushed. She wore blue high heels that matched her dress perfectly. Sarah looked cute, but Rena looked beautiful.

Rena wished she felt as confident as she looked. She didn't like being in front of large crowds of people.

"Are you guys ready?" Rena asked everyone.

They all nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go."

They all walked towards what Rena was sure was her doom.

--

Muwahaha! You'll get to find out what happens next chapter! Aren't I evil? I'll try my absolute bestest to put out the next chapter this week.


	14. Chapter 14 Ceremony

Bleh. I didn't know the little girl would show up in Beauty Pop again. Which means her name isn't Rena, it's Rika. Oh well, I was close. So anyways, the usual ranting from me. Review please? . I really really really really _really_ like reviews. It lets me know you guys are digging the story and I am making people happy by creating my story. I just want some reviews, is that so hard? That's the reason I haven't posted for a while. I didn't get enough reviews. I only got seven. I asked for ten. It makes me wonder if my story is even that great….Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I love you guys! XD Well anyways, on with chapter fourteen!

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Jacob sighed as he paced back and forth behind the stage. He looked at his watch. 3:30._ Where was she?_

"If she doesn't come, it's all your fault!", he hissed at David.

David just looked at him and smiled.

"She'll come."

"You better be right or the Scissors Project will look like a fool", Jacob said with a frown. "Then everything will be ruined."

David stared at him for a few seconds. "Don't worry about it", he replied as he spun around to prepare for the ceremony.

Jacob frowned again as he peeked out from the curtain. The crowd was getting restless and noisy. Many of the people were girls and they were all talking and giggling.

Jacob turned around and bumped into David. He had a somber expression.

"The crowd is getting restless. It's up to you to tell everyone the ceremony is canceled", he whispered. Jacob stared at him in horror.

"But, you said she was coming!" Jacob yelled.

"Well I was wrong", David said with a hollow tone. "Now do what I say!"Jacob was surprised by the way he was acting and gingerly picked up a microphone. He made his way toward the stage, trying to prepare a speech in his head.

Girls screamed as he walked out. All of a sudden, he felt stupid for being out on the stage and wondered why he was out here in the first place.

"Uh, hey everyone. How's it going?" he attempted as an opener. There were blatant replies with a few squeals from girls.

"I know this is going to make you guys feel angry, but we have to-" He cut off as he watched Rena enter the auditorium. "We just need a couple more minutes until we can begin."



Groans erupted in the crowd and Jacob made his way backstage.

"Are we ready?" Jacob asked David. He nodded and Jacob smirked.

"Perfect."

--

Rena gulped as she entered the auditorium. Suddenly she felt nervous and felt all-too-aware of the form-fitting dress she was wearing. She made her way to the front row. She smiled at Stratton as she sat next to him.

"Where were you?" he whispered. Rena just shrugged.

Rena shifted in her seat, but as she moved her hand brushed against his. She froze. Stratton looked at her funny.

"Are you okay? You look a little red", he asked.

"I'm fine", she croaked. Her voice sounded strange. Stratton looked at her strange again but didn't say anything because the ceremony began.

The Scissors Project stepped onstage and all of the girls went crazy. Screams spread through the crowd and made Rena feel annoyed that this was supposed to be _her_ ceremony.

"Thanks for coming everyone. We appreciate your support", David began into the microphone. He handed the microphone to Mikey.

"You guys are all awesome. The main focus today should be on a special girl. This girl is a very talented hair stylist with a spark and drive to achieve her goals", Mikey smiled. Then Jacob grabbed the microphone from his hand and Rena awaited to hear his words.

"This girl is quite literally the best hair stylist in the school and deserves an award. So I now call upon Rena Anezaki to come onto the stage so we can present her with a special award", Jacob said softly.

Rena felt paralyzed. This was the second time on five minutes her body felt immobile and she at a loss for words.

Then she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to Stratton.

"Go", he encouraged her. She smiled at him and found the strength to stand up. She wobbled slightly because of her heels and Stratton put his hand on the small of her back to keep her steady.

Rena blushed furiously. She made her way towards the stage in a daze. She carefully walked up the stairs, making sure she did not fall over.



When Rena reached the Scissors Project, she smiled at them in expectation. Jacob revealed the award from behind his back. Rena gasped at the sight she saw.

It was a pair of gold scissors connected to a gold base. The base read the engraved words _Rena Anezaki Best Hairstylist_. Jacob handed it to her and she held out her shaky arms to receive it.

Once it was in her hands Rena got a better look at it. It was clearly very expensive and Rena wondered why the Scissors Project would spend so much time and money over this. David began to speak again.

"Before the ceremony is over, there is a short video we would like to show the crowd", he said smoothly," It will only take a moment of your time." The video began to play and Rena stared at the screen hanging over the stage in curiosity.

A girl was on the screen talking. Rena gasped in horror when she realized it was her.

"Jacob is the worst person in the planet! I hate him! I will do _anything_ to beat him! He's absolute scum! I would even _die _to show him how worthless he is! There's no other person on earth who is as terrible as he is. I'm the best hairstylist in this school and there's no way he can stop me!" Rena watched herself rant. Silent tears ran down her face. _Why?_, were the only words she could think.

"At the competition, I will do my best to beat him. There's no way he can stop me. He's completely pathetic. I would even cheat to beat Jacob! Just so I can show him the groveling spoiled brat he is!" the Rena on the screen looked ugly. She was very angry and thirsted for revenge. Rena did not like this Rena she used to be.

The crowd gasped in horror at what they saw. Yells erupted that the Scissors Project should take the award back from Rena. Several insults were screamed at her. Rena could only stare at them crying. She felt so sad. She felt _broken_. All ripped up into little pieces.

Then she gasped sharply again. She suddenly remembered the moment she said those words in the video.

_It isn't possible!_, she thought. _It couldn't have really happened! Never! They would never betray me!_

Rena stared in sadness at the front row. There was only one person there when she said those words. The only person who could have recorded it. The only person around at that exact moment.

One person.

She looked at them with lost eyes.They stared at her with indifferent eyes. Betrayal stung in her heart. Rena was lost for words. There was only one thing she could say to that person.

_Why?_



The only person with her. The only person who could have betrayed her. The only person she could have really trusted. And this person was……

--

HA HA! CLIFFHANGER! I LOVE THOSE THINGS! XD YOU'LL FIND OUT WHO IT WAS NEXT CHAPTER! That is if you post enough reviews of course. Who do you think it was who betrayed her? Put it in your review muwahahaha! Now I will stop being evil and let you people wallow in that little soap opera I just typed. Love ya! –mangaanimegirl

Don't forget to review!!


	15. Chapter 15 Betrayal

Stratton

Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Oh yeah, and to the anonymous review, if I'm being selfish, you're just being plain rude. I just want ten people to review each chapter, a lot of people read it but don't review. I just want to know if I'm not wasting my time by writing this story. If you have a problem with that, then DON'T READ MY STORY. I'm so sorry I offended you by asking people to review. I apologize for making you feel that way, but I'm not apologizing for wanting ten reviews. Maybe I would take the limit of reviews for each chapter if people actually took the time to review. That's all the creator of the Beauty Pop category can hope for. Well anyways you guys filled your quota so you get your reward. I can only hope your standards were reached by my amateur writing XD and this is about the halfway mark for ANTB. I still can't believe I actually wrote fifteen chapters. So much has happened -

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Stratton.

Rena stared at him in horror. He continued to stare back at her without saying anything.

"Why? Why would you do that?, she choked out, "I didn't even mean it!" Stratton eyes went wide and he finally spoke.

"It's not what you think! Don't think that I did it!" he begged. Rena glared at him coldly.

"I don't know what to believe", she said softly, her eyes stinging with tears. The she turned and walked away from him. Walked away from the traitor. The hurt. The pain. The humiliation.

She was so angry. Tears flowed from her eyes, so she almost couldn't see the door to go outside.

Once she was out in the fresh air, the mixed emotions hit her like a car. Her head began to spin and she couldn't see anything around her. Then everything went black and her body slumped on the ground.

--

"What was that all about? I wasn't aware we were doing that!" Jacob yelled at David once they were behind stage.

"I was doing it for the Scissors Project", David answered solemnly.

"Doing what? Mentally destroying a girl?" Jacob demanded angrily.

"I was trying to get Rena to join the Scissors Project", David said softly. Jacob laughed.

"If you think that's gonna get her to join, you're wrong. She's stronger than that. Plus, I don't want her to join", Jacob said sternly.

"Well she's going to join whether she likes it or not", David smirked. Then footsteps thumped on the stairs and Stratton appeared around the corner.

"Why did you do that?" he screamed. He glared at David.

"I did it for the good of the Scissors Project", he repeated.

"What you did was wrong. Did you ever consider that she actually has feelings?" Stratton glowered.

"I asked you to do a specific job and this is part of it", David said sharply.

"This wasn't part of the deal. You told me to join her club and find out what she was doing. Not to destroy her hopes and dreams for your benefit", Stratton yelled with disbelief.

"As a member of this club, you are to help benefit it. If you can't seem to do that, then I don't know what to tell you", David instructed.

"If this is how this club is, then I quit. I didn't sign up to hurt people", Stratton spoke softly.

"You're making a mistake. I have other ways of getting to Rena", David told him.

"I don't care. You won't touch her and you won't be able to do anything", Stratton glared. Then he left the room in a dash.

"Fool", David muttered.

--

Rena stirred and her eyes opened. The unfamiliar surroundings confused her and she looked around to figure out where she was.

"Good. You're up", Samantha said with a smile, "I was getting kind if worried."

"Where am I?" Rena questioned.

"My room silly! Can't you tell?" Samantha giggled. Rena took another look at the room and recognized the colorful personality of Samantha's room. Plus, the fact that a picture frame containing Samantha's name might have been a dead giveaway as well.

"What time is it?" Rena wondered out loud.

"Eight-thirty", Samantha answered. Rena's eyes turned wild and she sat up quickly. She frantically began to look for her cell phone.

"Chill. I called your mom and she said it was okay for you to crash here", Samantha said soothingly. Rena sighed and she slumped back onto the bed.

"What happened after I fainted?" Rena asked quietly.

"Well the Beauty Project went to go look for you, naturally", Samantha told her.

"What about…What about Stratton?"

Rena's question seemed to hang in the air. Samantha was reluctant to answer. She turned away from her and looked everywhere except for Rena.

"We…don't really know. He disappeared as soon as you went outside" Samantha forced out. Silence overtook them and Rena took advantage of the time to ponder this new piece of information.

"He really betrayed me, huh?" Rena said to break the silence. Samantha looked up at her and Rena saw that tears were falling down her face.

"I'm sorry Rena!" Samantha cried as she leapt up to hug her, "I didn't think things would have turned out like this! I wanted you to be happy! The Beauty Project has been ruined!"

"It's not ruined. We can still get revenge on the Scissors Project. There's no way we can quit the club we so lovingly started", Rena reassured her.

"Thank you Rena. You changed the Beauty Project. Everything was messed up for us because of the Scissors Project. You gave us a chance to do what we loved!" Samantha said with tears falling down her face and messing up her make-up.

"Thank you for helping me", Rena responded.

"Well goodnight Rena. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow", Samantha sighed. Rena began to be confused.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Rena asked her. Samantha grinned.

"Don't worry about me. The floor is fine. You had a harder day than me", Samantha yawned. Rena relaxed on the bed and tried to concentrate on sleep. It was easier sad than done. Especially after you have been betrayed by a friend. A person you trusted.

Her breathing began to slow and she finally fell asleep. It was not dreamless. Nightmares haunted her and al of them seemed to end with Stratton smirking and laughing evily.

Rena shrieked and shot up. She had a terrible dream. She looked at Samatha. She did not seem to be affected by her sudden shout out.

_Where's my phone?_, she thought. She found it charging on Samantha's night table. _Three-twenty two._

Rena threw herself back down on the bed and hoped for better sleep. God, did she need it. Life couldn't be any worse.

--

Sorry if the chapter's so short. The next one will be better I promise XD Well things are gonna be a little crazy from now on. I warned you guys lol sorry for the text speak. Well please review I would appreciate it so much! Love ya!

Next chapter: How Rena deals with the betrayal and everyone else's reaction!

Plus, just whose side is Stratton on anyway?!


	16. Chapter 16 Reality

Hey peeps! Sorry if you don't like being called a peep XD Thank you for your oh-so-kind reviews! You guys are so awesome! I promise to work really hard and make this story good to make up for making you review! I'm not being selfish I'm just trying to do my best! In fact, the reviews are what encourages me to write the next chapter instead of being lazy. Well I'm so grateful towards you all and I am glad to present the next chapter! . Enjoy!

--

When Rena opened her eyes the next day, she felt slightly better. She was able to think clearer and wasn't so worried about Stratton OR the Scissors Project. And that felt good.

Samantha seemed to be acting strange, like she was amazingly giddy. Which is strange, considering one of her friends betrayed her the day before.

"What's with you?" Rena asked her. Samantha did not turn to look at her because she was carefully applying her eyeliner.

"Nothing. I'm always hyper, didn't you notice?" she laughed. She turned to smile at Rena when she finished her make-up. Rena finally got a good look at Samantha's outfit.

She was wearing a white dress covered in black lace and ribbon and was decorated with silver skulls. She wore a big black bow on her head. Her naturally wavy hair cascaded around her shoulders. She wore black mary jane shoes with white tights (as always).

Rena smiled back at Samantha. Her outfit was colorful like always. She had borrowed some clothes from Samantha who seemed to have an endless supply of them. Luckily, they were around the same size.

She wore an orange and red striped long sleeved shirt under a long bright green shirt with a smiling pink heart in the middle. A short pleated plaid skirt followed with a black belt covered in pink studs. Her legs were covered with black thigh-high socks and purple combat boots. Her outfit had many different colors but they all worked together into one awesome outfit.

"It amazes me how you manage to get all of these clothes!" Rena exclaimed in wonder.

"My parents are fashion designers", she explained. Rena's eyes opened wide in amazement.

"Really? That's so cool!" she squealed. Samantha rolled her eyes.

"It's not that great. It means that they are never around", she complained.

"Oh", Rena said quickly.

"But it's cool. I have a baby sitter/chauffer", she bragged.

"Okay, I get the point!" Rena giggled.

"Are you ready?" Samantha asked. Rena nodded.

"Alright, let's go. We're gonna be late!" Samantha yelled. Rena followed right behind her, wondering why they were going to be late. It was seven and school didn't start until eight.

Rena and Samantha hurried outside to Samantha's black BMW with tinted windows. They hopped inside and Samantha told her driver where to go.

Rena stared out the window watching things as they passed by. Trees. People. Houses. Anything to distract her.

"Are you ready for today?" Samantha queried.

"I guess. It's nothing I can't handle", Rena said quietly. The she continued to stare out the window.

"Rena?" Samantha called. Rena turned to her.

"You okay?" she asked again. Rena looked into Samantha's eyes and smiled.

"Yeah."

Then Rena turned back to the window and began to look confused.

"We aren't by the school", she pointed out.

"I know", Samantha answered.

"Then what are we doing?" Rena questioned.

"You'll see", she answered with a mysterious look.

The car pulled into the parking lot of Ihop. Rena gasped at what she saw.

Everyone from the Beauty Project was there. Well, at least everyone that didn't betray her. Jamia, Sarah, and even Ryan.

"Hey guys!" Rena yelled when she got out of the car, "What are you doing here?"

"Well we thought you were a little depressed, so we decided to ditch school and hang out", Jamia responded with a meek smile. Ryan and Sarah both smiled as well, as if to prove the statement was true.

"I can't ditch!" Rena exclaimed, "My mom would kill me!"

"Actually, I talked your mom about it last night. She's cool with it", Samantha grinned.

"Where are we going?" Rena asked.

"Well since you're kinda unhappy, we're going to take you to the happiest place on Earth", Samantha retorted.

"What's that?" Rena asked again. Everyone smiled wide.

"Disneyland!" they all chorused.

--

_A week after the betrayal……_

Rena walked to the Beauty Project's meeting, thinking about her trip to Disneyland. It had been fun.

The rides were amazing, her friends were cheerful, and the sights were breathtaking. It was even better than Tokyo Disneyland. Her favorite part had been seeing the castle. It was huge and vast, even more amazing than seeing a picture of it.

It helped her get over the betrayal, even if it was just a little bit. But she could never let it go. She just thought about the fun she had as she walked past the rumors, the whispering.

The art room was empty when she arrived. It did not matter to her, she was used to it. Rena smiled in expectation for her friends to come.

Samantha and Jamia showed up first. They exchanged their hellos and sat down and chatted about random things. Ryan rolled to a stop on his skateboard right outside of the door and sat down near them, instead of sitting in the far corner as usual.

Sarah walked slowly in, as if she was unsure of herself. She too, sat near the group, despite her usual distant seating chart.

Rena stared at the door, expecting Stratton to come. She was shocked when she realized she was doing this.

_Don't be stupid, he betrayed you_, she thought. Then she turned to her real friends.

"Let's get started, shall we?" she asked everyone. They all nodded, nobody seemed to want to say what they were all thinking. _ Is Stratton coming?_

"Knock, knock", someone said, breaking the silence. Rena's eyes opened wide in surprise when she recognized the voice. She whipped her head towards the door.

"What are _you _doing here?" she asked icily.

"I'm part of the club, aren't I?" Stratton answered showing no emotion.

"Traitors don't belong in this club, sorry", she said with narrowed eyes.

"Rena, listen! It's not my fault! It isn't what you think!" Stratton pleaded. Rena turned away and didn't answer him.

"Just go", Samantha said quietly.

"But-" Stratton began to protest.

"Leave now!" Jamia hissed.

"I'm not goi-" Stratton began again.

"Go!" Ryan ordered.

"I'm part of this club!" Stratton yelled.

"Nobody cares! Go where you belong!" Sarah screamed. Everyone was shocked by this sudden outburst. Stratton stared at everyone in disbelief. He shook his head.

"Fine. I'll go. I can see that I'm not wanted", he said bitterly. Nobody answered him. There was a shuffle of feet and then he was gone.

A long silence followed him. Rena concentrated hard on the board, trying not to cry.

Ryan was the first to stand. He collected his manicure kit and walked over to Samantha. He gestured quietly towards her hands and she nodded slowly. He began to work.

Everyone else followed his example. Jamia practiced her make-up on Samantha and Sarah moved silently towards Rena. Sarah did not look at her. She just stood next to Rena and practiced cutting hair.

Rena tapped her scissors whenever Sarah went too slow. Sarah would hear it and try to move faster. Sarah's accuracy when she went faster was getting better.

Everyone worked for a long while until it was five. Rena began to pack her things and everyone mimicked her. Reba gave a small smile to everyone, as a form of saying goodbye.

Rena walked away from her club, wishing she could just collapse on her bed and sob. There was still lots of emotion to sort out. Stratton's appearance had proven that.

--

Wow that took a while to type. A biggie chapter. This is most likely the longest so far. So much tension, it was difficult to type. Well anyways, _please_ review and I wish you all well. See ya next chapter! XD

Next chapter:

The fight with Stratton continues and David's revenge! And Jacob is on to David. Can he stop him in time before he hurts Rena again?


	17. Chapter 17 Proposal

Hello everyone

Hello everyone! - sorry for taking too long to update. It's summer so I have time to type now. Maybe I can even finish the story! That would be great I've been working on this thing for so long. It's so hard to come up with a story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. In case you haven't noticed, I took off the review limit. But please review. They're the only things I want. I give you a story and you give me reviews. That seems like a fair trade. And vote on the poll too. I've only received a couple. Thanks!

--

Rena sighed once again as she walked towards the clubroom. It had to be the most difficult week ever. People in this school hated her more than ever.

She opened the door and reached to flick on the light. When the light was on, Rena got a good look at the clubroom. She froze.

She stood there for a few seconds. She screamed loudly in horror at what she saw.

--

"So let me get this straight? The club room is ruined?" Samantha asked. Rena nodded with her tear-stained face. All of the club members were standing outside trying to comfort Rena. Samantha moved towards the door and opened it.?

"Oh my god!" she yelped, "Who would do something like this?" The rest of the members looked through the door and gasps ensued.

All of the desks were pushed over and their supplies they stored in the room were broken and scattered. Mean insults were written on the dry erase board such as CHEATER, LIAR, LOSER, AND BCH. Papers were all over the ground and the walls were spray-painted with more insults. It was truly a terrible sight.

Rena began to sob once more when she looked in the room. Sarah went over and hugged her. Everyone was silent.

"What are we going to do?" Sarah asked. Her wide blue eyes were filled with worry.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Rena wailed.

--

"Did you guys hear?" Mikey exclaimed as he burst into the room.

"Hear what?" Jacob asked. David showed no interest.

"Rena's club room was ruined, Jake-Jake", Mikey answered excitedly.

"Jake-Jake? What the hell kind of name is Jake-Jake?" Jacob said with an annoyed look. "Wait! Did you say Rena's club room was ruined?!"

"You don't like my nickname?" Mikey whined. Jacob frowned.

"Answer my question!" Jacob demanded.

"I did", Mikey whined again.

"The second question, you idiot!" Jacob hissed. Mikey's face lit up with recognition.

"Oh yeah! Rena's club room was trashed. There's graffiti everywhere and all of their supplies were broken", Mikey announced.

"What? Are you serious?" Jacob asked with a concerned look. Mikey nodded.

"Who would do something like this?" Jacob wondered out loud.

"Me", David said quietly. Jacob was shocked and jumped up.

"How could you do something like that? I know she shouldn't be trying to go against us, but you can't completely trash her stuff!" Jacob snapped.

"Why would you do that to poor Rena?" Mikey whined.

"Calm down. If you would just listen to me, I can explain why I needed to do what I did", David stated.

Jacob slid back into his seat and crossed his arms and said, "I'm listening." David smirked and folded his hands together.

"I think I found a way to get rid of the Beauty Project", David explained. Ten a rustling was heard in the doorway.

"So is your club still accepting members?" Stratton asked them.

David grinned wide.

--

The next day…

Rena stood before her friends, holding a large trash bag. The plan was to clean up the messed-up club room as soon as possible.

"I guess you guys should split up and work on your own area. It's the fastest way to work", Rena suggested.

"Righty-o, Commander", Samantha saluted.

"Uh, alright", Rena replied with a weird expression. Then she began to work.

Anger burned in her eyes as she picked up trash and various things. _Who would do something like this?It's terrible!_

Rena felt like her heart was breaking as she picked up her broken scissors. She had other ones, but it was still important to her. Scissors were a beautician's life.

The rest of the group looked just as desolate. It was as if the intruders had taken their lives. The morale had certainly gone down. Rena felt the urge to say something.

"Don't worry guys", Rena encouraged with a forced smile, "Everything will work out okay."

"Or not", a voice rang out. Everyone turned in surprise. The entire Scissors Project stood there smirking, including Stratton.

"What are you doing here?" Rena spat, "This isn't your club room."

"We're on official club business", Jacob stated.

"Oh really? I'd love to hear it", Rena said sarcasm.

'There's no need to be rude", David said coldly, "We mean no harm."

"Then what's _he _doing here", Rena hissed as she stabbed a finger towards Stratton. David glanced in his direction.

"He's a member or the Scissors Project now."

"Fitting for someone like him. I hope you guys are happy together", Rena sneered.

"Rena!" Mikey shouted in an annoying voice, "Please be nice. We just want to talk." Rena paused and considered it.

"Okay. What do you want?" Rena interrogated.

David smiled and looked Rena straight in the eyes.

"We have a proposition."

_Huh?!_

--

Ha ha cliffie. I am trying to type as fast as possible but it seems like as soon as I get on the computer, it seems like I can only type a couple of sentences. Major writers' block. Any suggestions for the story? Please review and vote on the poll. Thank you! XD


	18. Chapter 18 Invitation

Ha ha, oh wow… It's been a while since I've updated. I guess I got really busy. I'm SO SORRY. Anyways, let's just say I took a really long hiatus. I'll try my best to finish the story since there are people who like this. And also, I will address one thing. When I started this story, the 7th volume wasn't out yet so I had no idea the helmet head character would come back. The name I had come up with was pretty close though, what luck! And so that's the story… Alright, you've waited long enough!

"What kind of proposition?" Rena demanded. Her eyes narrowed.

"The kind that offers you a chance. Or the kind that gets rid of your club forever. Whatever you choose" , David stated. He crossed his arms and glared right back at Rena.

"There's a little competition coming up at the end of the month that you might be interested in joining. It's for people under the age of 18 who are interested in entering the world of cosmeticians and beauticians."

Rena furrowed her eyebrows and pondered this information. _What does he want me to do?Enter? And do what? Compete with him? _

"What do you want from me?" Rena asked him.

"To enter obviously. We're to have another battle. And this time it's to the death." He smirked.

"To the death?" Rena found herself questioning. Another evil smile broke on David's face.

"If you don't win, then your club is finished. You'll have to disband"

Rena's face twisted with shock.

"What makes you think I would agree to something like that?"

"You're going to accept because you can't say no to a challenge." David hissed. He motioned to Jacob. Jacob handed him a piece of paper.

"Here you go" David said coldly, shoving the paper into Rena's hand. Then he nodded to the rest of his team and they turned to leave. "Oh and one last thing, if you don't show up to this competition, then we'll know who the better team is. There's a lot if prize money involved as well, which your pathetic club will need," David added, hatred gleaming in his eyes.

And with that, the team briskly left through the door, as swift as how they arrived. Rena and her team stared with astonishment at their doorway.

"THOSE JERKS! Who do they think they are, issuing some kind of ultimatum? It makes me so mad!" Samantha yelled, clenching her hands into fists. She started stomping around the room. "Those guys are just asking to get cut!" Jamia shouted angrily. Sarah just looked scared and whimpered.

Ryan looked over at Rena and asked "What does the paper say?" Rena glanced at the paper in her hand.

The paper read _NATIONAL JUNIOR BEAUTICIAN COMPETITION. ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MAY ENTER. MUST BE A GROUP OF 5 OR LESS. ENTER ONLINE AT GROUPS MUST PAY A FEE OF $1,000 PER PERSON. GRAND PRIZE: $50,000 SECOND PLACE: $10,000_

Rena gaped in amazement. "A thousand dollars per person? Where are we going to get that kind of money." The room gasped.

"You're joking!" Jamia exclaimed as she tore the paper from Rena's hand. She read the paper furiously.

"What are we going to do?" Ryan cried. Sarah wimpered again.

"I might be able to borrow the money from my parents," Samantha offered,"But they might not be pleased about loaning me that much money. Can you guys scrounge up at least a thousand dollars. I will probably be able to cover the rest. When we win we can pay them back."

Rena looked at Samantha with astonishment. "You can get that much money?"

"Well yeah, my parents have quite a bit of money. They'd loan me some if I wanted it." Samantha told her.

"Okay, I have $200 saved and I can probably ask my mom for some too", Rena muttered, "Do you think you guys can bring as much money as you can tomorrow?" The group nodded.

"Alright guys. We should probably go home then. We probably won't be able to work anymore with this on our minds. Let's all meet tomorrow at lunch. Make sure to bring the money", Rena informed the team. Then she began to clean up the desk she was working on. The others followed her lead and began clearing the desks.

When they were finished they all sort of stood in a circle and stared. Nobody said anything. Rena sighed.

"I think we should go now. See you guys tomorrow", Rena said quickly to break the silence. Ten she pushed through the sort of circle to leave the room. Everyone muttered their goodbyes and then shuffled after her.

Rena walked through the empty school and thought about the bombshell the Scissors Project dropped on her and the team.

_How are we going to get all the money for the competition? How are we going to beat them? I have faith in the team, but there's a chance the club could be disbanded._

Rena felt so worried about this competition she felt sick to her stomach. She had three weeks to prepare for the competition. She hoped her team could be ready in time.

She had been so preoccupied with the competition that she barely noticed that she had walked all the way home. She unlocked the door and walked through the empty house and laid down in her bed until her mother got home a few hours. Then Rena got out of bed to go talk to her mother.

"Hi Mom", Rena said as her mom dropped brown grocery bags on the marble kitchen counter. Rena helped her set them down and unpack.

"Hi", her mom replied with a half-hearted smile. "How's school?"

"Oh, you know, it's boring but it's good. Actually I wanted to talk to you about something", Rena answered.

"Talk to me about what?" her mom replied suspiciously. Rena paused to prepare herself.

"Can I borrow $100?" Rena asked with hope. Her mom frowned and brushed her long dark hair behind her ear.

"Why do you want that much money?" she inquired. She folded her arms across her chest as if she was waiting to hear a good reason.

"Uh, well, you know that club I joined? We're having a field trip soon, and I need to pay for it", Rena stammered. She tried to make an innocent face so her mom would have sympathy. Her mom stared at her for a good long while.

"Alright", she said briskly. She reached into her pocket for her wallet and fished through it for money. Then she handed Rena three green bills. "That's $150. Use it wisely."

"Thanks Mom!" Rena shouted with excitement. She leapt to give her a mom a hug. Her mom laughed.

"I hope I didn't do the wrong thing by giving you that money", her mom added.

Rena smiled and thought, _I hope so too._

"Okay guys! What have we got?" Rena demanded with shining eyes. Her bright purple tights clashed with her blue Doc Martens and black mini dress. She held out her blue gloved hand to the team.

"The most I could muster was $100. Sorry about that, my family doesn't have that much money to throw around", Ryan apologized. His black and red cap made his bangs slightly cover his eyes. He put the crisp $100 bill in Rena's hand.

"It's fine", Rena smiled. "Okay, Jamia, you next." Jamia's eyes that were coated with eyeliner and mascara focused on her.

"I got $220", her bright red lips said. Then she handed Rena the money. Rena could see her fingernails were painted black.

"Okay, I managed to get $350, so $100 plus $220 plus $350 equals $670! Guys, we're gonna need to get up more than that! We're so close!" Rena cried.

"Ahem" a voice behind her said softly. Rena turned to look. The green eyes of Sarah looked up at her.

"Oh my God, Sarah! I'm so sorry! I forgot about you!" Rena exclaimed while her eyes widened in surprise," How much did you collect?" Sarah held up a stack of money. Rena reached for it and began to count.

Rena froze. _It can't be this much. That's way too high. _She counted it again. It was the same amount. There was no mistaking it.

"$700?" Rena roared. "How'd you get this much?" Sarah smiled.

"I didn't really hang out with anyone until I met you guys so this is my allowance saved up over the years," Sarah murmured. Rena felt her heart swell.

_Sarah really is a good person. She's a rare breed, _Rena thought. She smiled and hugged Sarah. Sarah blushed furiously.

"Thanks to you, we can enter the competition. Let's do this thing!" Rena shouted. The Beauty Project cheered with her and they headed off to sign up online for the competition.

Rena never felt happier in her life. Her team was about to accomplish something great and they would beat the Scissors Project.

The Beauty Project hovered behind Rena as she entered in their information for the competition which included names, ages, and name of their team. They also looked at more details for the competition.

"I can't believe it!" Rena gasped. "A five-star hotel for a week? No wonder it was so much to enter. And the contest conveniently falls during Spring Break. I think the Scissors Project knew that."

"Are you serious?" Jamia bellowed and grabbed the monitor. "That is so freaking cool! Even if we don't win, it'll be worth it to go."

"A week is a long time", Samantha added. "Do you think we can all get permission to be gone for that long?"

"I don't know", Rena groaned," I think my mom will be okay with it."

"Well I'm in!" Jamia interrupted with her hand raised. Sarah looked skeptical.

"Uh…umm…I…think I can go," Sarah said with a worried expression.

"I can probably go", Ryan chimed in," My parents are pretty chill."

"Well let's check with the parental units and make sure we're good to go. If they say no, then that's the only thing that will stop us from entering this contest!" Rena said with determination.

"Okay!" "Alright." "Sure." "Heck yes!" said the team.

Rena suddenly didn't feel so worried anymore. She just knew that nothing was going to stop her team from going to the competition. She would make sure of it.

She closed her eyes and thought, _I can't believe this is actually happening. Even though the whole group is at risk,I've never felt so much motivation to be her very best in her entire life. It was like I was finding new passion to my love to cut hair. _

Then she opened her eyes and told her team," I'm so grateful for you guys. You're my first friends in America and you're all so kind. I'm glad to have met you. No matter what happens in the competition, we will remain friends and we will still be able to pursue our dreams."

Samantha smiled and stated, " We're even luckier to be friends with you and have us as our leader." Ryan and Jamia agreed.

"And without you, I'd have no friends or initiative to be more outspoken", Sarah said with an intense face. She gazed into Rena's eyes. "I've never had a friend like you, but then I've never had a real friend until I met you."

Rena was so touched that her eyes began to tear up. She tried her best to hold them back but a tear escaped.

"I'm sorry, I was just really happy you guys feel that way", she apologized. She wiped the tear with her index finger. Everyone smiled back at her.

Determination spread over Rena. She composed herself and said," We will beat the Scissors Project!"

"WE'RE GONNA WIN!" Jamia screamed and pumped a fist in the air. Everyone laughed at her excitement.

"Just wait until we get to the competition", Rena smirked,"They're going to realize they made a huge mistake by challenging us.

Yes! I finished! I worked really hard on this chapter because I wanted it to be worth it. I'm going to do my very best to finish the story so I don't accidentally disappear again! . I'm grateful to everyone who reads this story and to anyone that takes the time to review. I really, really hoped you liked it! Next chapter will be soon! 3

Next Time: The competition begins! Scissors Project and Beauty Project face each other again!


End file.
